Greetings From Our Backyard Birds

That’s usually how I decide which of my paintings or photos will end up as a greeting card or note card, following the advice of someone’s suggestion.

When it comes to my birds, many of the paintings and photos are from winter, when the birds are simply easier to see, but also one of my favorite seasons for painting and photography. Last year I decided to make up two sets of cards for the holidays—and possibly beyond—from the paintings and photos that received the most comments. Knowing that many of my readers are also avian fans and feeders, I’m sharing them here today.

Backyard Birds

I truly love winter paintings because the light is wonderful without the shadows from trees, the reflections from the snow illuminating shadowed areas with soft purples and blues, and the patterns made by bare branches are mesmerizing. This set of four paintings of birds are ones I’d done “from life”, actually standing at a window inside or at my back door rather than literally en plein air, but I wanted to catch that moment of light and color.

Above is “Jammin’ Jay Blues”, my impression of a bunch of noisy blue jays making a racket in the bare branches of the mulberry. In the winter light, their blue feathers have an extra glow that I don’t notice in summer, and between the color and the sound they occasionally fill my backyard with what feels like a celebratory parade, when all they are celebrating is the sliced apples I’ve stuck on twigs in the tree.

Below is “Snow Bird”, a play on the common name for a dark-eyed junco, as it clings to along branch of the forsythia in heavy snowfall, apparently living up to its name. They appear in my backyard each year in October and stay until April, and I love their simple little silhouettes, tiny rounded bodies, short beaks and tails, and that white spot on their bellies that looks as if they’d been dipped in white paint before they left the factory.

This is “Birds in Snow”, inspired by the sparrows and doves that feed on the ground under the feeder outside my front door. To one side of the feeder is a huge spruce, providing cover and safety for many, many birds, and watching them twittering on the branches, then dropping down for seeds one by one and pecking around in the snow in a big crowd, then suddenly all of them flapping back up into the spruce as if signaled by something only to begin the process again is like watching waves on the beach.

And here is “Accent”, a single cardinal in the branches and brambles touched with snow at the end of the yard. This is the “safe spot” for birds and small animals as I’ve let the wild grapevines, raspberries and blackberries and Roses of Sharon grow into a dense tangled mass which is excellent protection from predators and I place a seed feeder and suet feeder into the mess each autumn. A heavy snowfall which layers each branch with white and the play of light and shadow in the mass of branches creates one of nature’s most lovely patterns. Where most of my drawing surfaces have some texture, for this one I added marble dust and grit and gave the surface a rough brushed appearance which turned out to be perfect for capturing the feeling of branches and snow.

“Accent”, pastel, 5″ x 10″

. . . . . . .

About the cards

Inside, all cards say, “Wishing you warm thoughts and happy memories in this holiday season, and an astonishingly beautiful new year to come.” They are sold by the dozen, three cards of each design, with white envelopes. While I’m offering these cards for the holidays, they are wonderful all-purpose greeting cards as well and I’ll keep them available through spring in my Etsy shop.

Marketplace

Once a week on Thursday I feature something new in my “shop”, whether that’s here on The Creative Cat, in my Etsy shop, on my main website or even at one of the bricks and mortar shops that carry my work.

Sign up for my e-newsletter (below), check the widget on the sidebar on my home page, or sign up to receive posts on Portraits of Animals Marketplace. I plan on plenty of events this coming summer in the Pittsburgh area.

Donations

I designate four portrait certificates each year for donation to benefit animals, and also donate merchandise, prints of artwork and even originals to rescue and shelter benefits. If you are interested in a donation for your event, please email me with the details of your event and your organization.

It’s all done under the close and careful supervision of my studio cats!

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All images used on this site are copyrighted to Bernadette E. Kazmarski unless otherwise noted and may not be used without my written permission. Please ask if you are interested in using one in a print or internet publication. If you are interested in purchasing a print of this image or a product including this image, check my Etsy shop to see if I have it available already. If you don’t find it there, visit Ordering Custom Artwork for more information on a custom greeting card, print or other item.

Recent Exhibits

Reviews and Testimonials

Bernadette Kazmarski is my absolute favorite artist, I have one of her pieces on nearly every wall in my home. One of the things I admire most about her work is her feline art. Bernadette is able to capture cats in a very emotional and authentic way. The light and expressions on her feline subjects are so delightful. No animal has captivated us (and the Internet) quite like the house cat. Bernadette's pieces perfectly replicate the joys our feline friends bring to us.

Tara Czekaj

Friends and I chipped in together and hired Bernadette to create a memorial of a friend’s beloved cat after kitty passed away. The memorial was beautiful! We highly recommend Bernadette’s work.

Peg Bowman,Ordained Clergy, Computer Instructor

Bernadette Kazmarski is a friend and talented artist who's an avid cat lover just like us! She has created original cat artwork using a variety of mediums, and has transformed her artwork into such useful giftware items as notepads, garden flags, calendars, greeting cards table decor and votives (one of my personal favorites). She's also an award winning writer. Bernadette is a dedicated cat rescue volunteer and remains active in savings cats' lives.

Carolyn Kozlowski, My Three Cats & Co., Inc.

I love Bernadette's creativity and style. In addition, when I purchase from her, it is from a wonderful, caring person, not a faceless corporation.

Recent Exhibits

Reviews and Testimonials

Bernadette Kazmarski is my absolute favorite artist, I have one of her pieces on nearly every wall in my home. One of the things I admire most about her work is her feline art. Bernadette is able to capture cats in a very emotional and authentic way. The light and expressions on her feline subjects are so delightful. No animal has captivated us (and the Internet) quite like the house cat. Bernadette's pieces perfectly replicate the joys our feline friends bring to us.

Tara Czekaj

Friends and I chipped in together and hired Bernadette to create a memorial of a friend’s beloved cat after kitty passed away. The memorial was beautiful! We highly recommend Bernadette’s work.

Peg Bowman,Ordained Clergy, Computer Instructor

Bernadette Kazmarski is a friend and talented artist who's an avid cat lover just like us! She has created original cat artwork using a variety of mediums, and has transformed her artwork into such useful giftware items as notepads, garden flags, calendars, greeting cards table decor and votives (one of my personal favorites). She's also an award winning writer. Bernadette is a dedicated cat rescue volunteer and remains active in savings cats' lives.

Carolyn Kozlowski, My Three Cats & Co., Inc.

I love Bernadette's creativity and style. In addition, when I purchase from her, it is from a wonderful, caring person, not a faceless corporation.

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This blog is the living update for Portraits of Animals, telling stories, pointing out what’s new, what’s on special and what’s on clearance. Enter your email below to get regular updates in your email inbox when I post something new.

All images used on this site are copyrighted to Bernadette E. Kazmarski unless otherwise noted and may not be used without my written permission. Please ask if you are interested in using one in a print or internet publication. If you are interested in purchasing a print of an image or a product including this image, check to see if I have it available already.